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August 26, 2003
Observations...
I thought sure the parking my car issue had something to do with not being able to see the end of the hood on the Camry.....I had no problem parking my car nor Greg's straight when I got home. Soooooo I was expounding on my theory while driving to CT on Sunday...then noticed I couldn't even SEE my hood at all on my car. As far as I was concerned, the car ended right at the windshield...who cares...I have been able to park my car straight ever since I got home. I know you were all worried about that.
I did manage to make the first trip to CT without having any encounters with the men/women trying to impede my speed. I did however, take a rock in the windshield resulting in a nice chip. It happened going under an overpass...I didn't see anyone up there after we got hit, though...maybe some car/truck kicked it over. It's just a pain to have to have it dealt with...fortunately it's on the passenger side; it can wait.
Eldon is putting up railings on my porch.....the red cedar shingles on the house walls look great....wish we could afford to do the whole house in them.
Went to the dentist this morning....going to a funeral this afternoon; ALS is a nasty disease. Our friend had been diagnosed 5 years ago and died last friday at 47 years of age. Very sad.
Have had to make special arrangements to get our drugs refilled before I leave for CT again later this week...geesh....like I'm going to abuse lipator if I get it refilled too early????
Time to get a move on...have a good day all........
Posted by frani at 10:26 AM | Comments (2)
August 22, 2003
It's Friday!
Packing/going home day! Hhhmmm it will be 90+ degrees when I pick Greg up after work but midnight before we get home AND the airport club is ACed enough to freeze to death in. Maybe I'll just pack a sweater and longer pants in my backpack for "later".
Rumor has it the new shingles and porch on the house look good...can't wait to see it.
Newsflash from last night: Some Poor woman in VA got her head stuck while going through the drive thru at Mac Donalds. That sounds like something that would happen to me. That is also why I left my quarter on the ground at the Dulles Road Toll booth last time rather than open the door to get it. Worth another quarter not to be in the position of escalating stupidity.
Confession time.........I can't seem to be able to park the car straight between the lines lately. I don't mean in the middle or even a little to one side or the other...I mean I seem to be diagonal most of the time! sigh...hopefully it's just something with my peripheral vision or something. Disconcerting to say the least and now the harder I try, the worse I park. However...I did an excellent parallel parking job in Burlington a few weeks ago so I'm not losing it totally.
I finished my book....I think I'll be reading James Patterson & Peter DeJonge's Beach House next.
Guess I will try to start packing....have a good day all.
Posted by frani at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2003
YIKES!
RATS! Low Profile? Unmarked? 10 new officers? Mainly hired to enforce speeding restrictions? I-91? I-87? RT 7?
Woe is me........and I have how many trips to CT coming up next week? Two Round Trips! That's 4 segments!
Ok Ok...I can do this...I have slowed down a LOT since that little fiasco on the Merritt Parkway.
Posted by frani at 06:27 AM | Comments (3)
August 20, 2003
We walked and walked....
...and walked some more. There is always lots to see in Washington DC and the Smithsonian's in particular. BUT I'm pooped and my legs hurt. A fine time was had with Blanche and her sister Rosa and her niece, Monica and her nephews, Jason and Ritchie ( aka Roo..hehehe too cute) Would risk these achey legs all over again to play with them...thanks!
Today is a pool day..and laundry again. I've started reading J.A. Jance's Partner in Crime........the meeting of the two series' main characters...should be good.
Had a chance to get tickets to a CNN Crossfire taping later this week...two young ladies were handing them out/signing people up at the Metro stop yesterday. I was surprised the numbers of people who declined....I thought it was interesting but I wasn't going to be here or so I thought...it's today. hhhmmm.
I had bad dreams last night...some overzealous bank clerk sent back my checks becasue she didn't like the way I crossed my T when I signed the checks...said it didn't look crossed. Hello? Dream interpreter?
The other dreams had to do with "Eldon" having to removed more and more parts of the house and had such huge gaping holes left that he was at a loss as to what to do ...he effectively removed our bedroom entirely! the roof was intact though...he was thrilled since he just put that on last year.
I think I woke up tired.
Alexandra Rae Van Wyck is 13 years old today..........oh my.
Have a good day all.........
Posted by frani at 10:11 AM | Comments (3)
August 18, 2003
Readin' & Watching...
Book updates.......I read Faye Kellerman's Stone Kiss and am now finishing up Nerd in Shining Armor by Vicki Lewis Thompson. Snort, the later is part of the Kelly Rippa book club selections. Cute. Ohhhhh I see she has selected other books I've read in the past...The Boy Next Door by Megan Cabot is written in email format...fun/mystery book too. Seems Kelly's book selections aren't quite as dark/deep as Oprah's.
We watched a couple of movies yesterday too...Gangs of New York and Fight Club. Yeah I know we are a little behind the times with both..especially Fight Club. I think we could have done with a little less gore in one day but what the heck. Actually I think I could have survived quite nicely not seeing either one of them....I think I need to see something a little more...ummm...something...how about Finding Nemo for contrast?
Laundry is done...again...work work work. I'm going to the zoo again today...meeting Blanche and her cohorts ( sister? nephew? niece? something like that) A fun time will be had by all.
Have a good day all.........
Posted by frani at 09:34 AM | Comments (4)
August 17, 2003
If it's Sunday...
...we must be in Gaithersburg. I woke up this morning with not quite the knowlege of where I was...it's disconcerting.
We spent Friday night in Richmond packed up yesterday morning then plotted our course for Gaithersburg. Somehow driving 2.5 hours like a bat out of hell on I-95 only to have to wait for our room to be ready another 2 hours didn't sound appealing.We decided we have seen enough of I-95 on several occasions to last a while...none of it has ever been stress-free so we decided to go up the Western edge of Virginia into West Virginia and cross into Maryland at Harper's Ferry. Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet there. We went into the National Park ..it was enough to just be in a lot of these historical areas.
We opted not to take the Skyline Parkway on the BlueRidge Mountains ...the last thing we needed was the navigator on the floor and the driver with her eyes closed....just the words Sky line gave me shivers. The Shenandoah Valley was just lovely, Thank you. However, we did venture off our course (I-81) at one point and thought we'd take in Luray Caverns. I'm sure it was awesome but so were the crowds waiting in line....we opted out of that too. Yeah, we are getting old.
I also realized my driving angst is related to the purpose of the drive. I'm much more anxious and subject to speeding and road rage if the point of the drive is to get somewhere to have fun. However, if the point is to just drive and have a good time getting somewhere else, then I'm quite relaxed.
We have seen lots of Kudzu too....I'm still fascinated by the way it envelopes all the other trees and bushes. Some places it cascades off the trees like a waterfall and descends down the hill sides. Ahem...one place it was starting to creep across the road. Hhhhhmmmm.
BTW...I keep forgetting to mention this stretch of highway ( I use the term loosely) from I-95 to the airport in Richmond. Actually, I think I tried to block it out and *I* never had to drive on it. I think it was designed by an out of work amusement ride architect.........the height, the twists, the turns, the nothing around it, rivals anything I've seen at Bush Gardens or Six Flags....willies.... I asked Greg to take a picture of it on our way by but his thumb was on itand it was blurry...now you know who actually had to drive on it last week.
Time to snack on an apple fritter we picked up at the Johnny Appleseed Restaurant....yeah, Johnny Appleseed...wanna make something of it?
Posted by frani at 08:52 AM | Comments (1)
August 15, 2003
Got Power?
(Psssttt....I hate it when I accidentally shut down my browser before I've saved my blog entry)
Annnnnyyyyyywwwwwwaaaaayyyyy..........biggest Blackout in US history last night in the Niagra Mohawk Grid...50 million people effected. Comparisons to the 1996 and 1977 blackouts of which I remember NOTHING. Now where was I during the 1965 Great Blackout of the Northeast and I can tell you I was sitting on the couch with 17 candles lit when my parents got home. ::::willies::: Must be the reporters last night were too darn young to remember the 1965 black out...it was a big deal ya know!!
It's also important to remember how being able to get the lastest news effects our reactions to incidents such as this. One son was sitting in an Emergency Command Center with phones and even internet connections albeit no lights AC and cut off from his home.......the other was safe and sound in his home with his family but cut off from news....only knowing the outage was widespread; beyond his little neck of the woods. Their reactions were totally opposite. I'm thankful neither of them (nor their families) was stuck in an elevator or on a subway....
Now then....do *I* have the right kind and quantity of batteries at home to power up those boom boxes they left behind? I have the phone, food, water, and means to cook ( gas grill and stove top even) and plenty of flashlights/candles/oil lamps....but that battery operated source for news is a little trickier. Must put that on my to do list.
I think I'm also glad we don't have to deal with flights tonight although we would have had a direct flight from DC to VT....I bet it's still going to be a mess. Instead we will spend the night here in Richmond and drive up to Maryland tomorrow. Friday and nooooo packing.
BTW...yesterday was laundry day in my travel world...the hotel's laundry facility was out of order though. I thought of waiting until we got to the next hotel Sat morning...we could have made it without resorting to turning our undies inside out by why chance it, ya know? So I found the closest coin-op laundromat and used that...next time I think I will buy more clothes or wear dirty underwear before going to a skivvie laundromat again. It was expensive too...twice as expensive as any hotel machines I've used AND I brought back some damp clothes...I was just not going to feed those machines any more quarters.
Woe is me...it is too hot to sit outside here today and the pool is an indoor one in a room where the AC is making the room too cold! BUT I've got power, and phones and internet...I'm a lucky woman.
hhhhmmm...now about those war torned counties????? They've been without power for how long?
Posted by frani at 11:10 AM | Comments (6)
August 13, 2003
For your dining and viewing pleasure
Last night we had a dining treat...that doesn't happen very often since it's hard to follow the natives around trying to ferret out where they like to eat or settling for one of the zillion national chain type restaurants...Applebees, Cracker Barrel etc. At least with those you know what your meal will be like however, the trouble with those is you know what your meal will be like, regardless of whether you are in Vermont or Arizona or Virginia... Anyway.........a restaurant by the name of Ipanema Grille was suggested to Greg and his fellow consultants so I looked it up online and got directions...I was ready when the guys asked where we were going to eat. Off we went...through torrential downpours at times and sort of following the directions I got online and looking at a map I had in a touristy book. When we found ourselves at yet again another strip mall we were a little skeptical but we forged ahead. They don't have a menu except for a laminated thing that explains the pricing...the procedure and drinks/desserts. Basically it's a Brazillian "churrasco" (succulent chargrilled meats) type place. There is a huge salad/side dish bar where you help yourself first..then when you are ready for your meats you turn your little table card to green and the waiters start bringing on the grilled meat all on skewers right from the grills.. Shiskabos, pork, sausage, bacon wrapped turkey, chicken, tenderloin, a little at a time of course. You can turn your card to red for a breather but then when you are ready to resume pigging out turn it back to green. One time they showed up with grilled whole pineapples they just sliced off a piece for you. Very tastey indeed......and a nice surprise as well as a treat. Thank you Richmond.....
Some mornings, don't you just wake up and think to yourself..." Am I really just another bit player in some grand B grade movie??" Opening the window shade this morning, I was sure it was true!! Nooo this isn't Mothra devouring the Holiday Inn Express next door...just a praying mantis on the screen...whew.
Later on in the morning, I ventured forth to Careytown....quite an eclectic little west end district of Richmond of little shops, boutiques, antique stores. One shop-owner told me there were 8 blocks of shops there...ok...I only managed to walk both sides of 4 blocks of them before deciding to leave. I found crafts to copy when I get home...toys I'd forgotten about but was thrilled to see again....and one store where I thought just maybe I wasn't quite the right gender or um...orientation or um ....anyway, I made my purchase in one section of the store after I nonchalantly moved on from the the other section of the store. Hey, hey....they had good flamingo stuff in there! It's really good to pay attention and know your neighborhood, though...ya know?
Posted by frani at 04:20 PM | Comments (5)
August 12, 2003
Hup two three four...
There are many cilvil war site signs directing visitors to one place or another around here....of course I would accidently stumble on Grant's Union Headquarters as I was just driving around looking at the sights and sounds of the region. There is a very pretty walking park built along the banks of the Appomattox River in Hopewell, VA. How did I come upon that? Well it's not to far from where we are...and the brochure looked better than it was but it was a start for branching out from the hotel to see what there is to see.
I had other plans for the day but it started raining off and on in the morning and then I ended up taking a long afternoon nap...hhhmmm must have been tired; travel lagged or something.
I think I'll branch out a little further today, although, I haven't decided on where I'll go...stay tuned and I'll tell you after the fact.
Update: I went to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden...it was just beautiful! The rose garden was still blooming but I bet it was even more breathtaking in full bloom (and smell) What a gorgeous place for a wedding!! too bad it's a little out of the way for Next May's guests...including the Bride and Groom
Posted by frani at 08:43 AM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2003
Greetings from Richmond..........
No early flights for us yesterday...they were oversold and THEN delayed by more than an hour out of VT so the connection to DC would have been missed. Gotta love Mesa Airlines ( USAir's regional jet carrier) NOT...I wonder if they are EVER on time?
Our flight was oversold as well...and delayed in NY for more than an hour...pesky storms up the east coast.
Toyota Camry...ahem...someone has earned additional privilege from the Hertz people...Presidents Circle...the car is parked and waiting for him within a few steps of the pick up area. A man like him shouldn't have to walk too far to retrieve his car .....guaranteed car...no matter what and upgrade too. ...and no Ford Taurus. However it would have been nice to have some keys in the car last night....picky picky.
The weather doesn't look condusive to outdoor activity today....time to peruse the brochures in the lobby and get some staples for the room...milk juice and all.
Have a fine day all...and Happy Birthday Auntie Anna!!
Posted by frani at 09:54 AM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2003
On the Road Again....
Taking off again today for VA and MD....2 whole weeks.
Yesterday I went looking for another little waterproof pouch since some stuff we carry usually leaks and it's been known to bleach fabric. One of my stops was at Bath and Body shop where I could have bought a sampling of products IN a pouch. The sweet young thing directed me toward the rejuvenating section...exfoliating washes...skin firming lotions. Hmmmm....I was about to make some snappy remark but I decided my indecision choosing the appropriate comment was enough for her to "get the point"...then I left. HRUMPH!
We went to the new Verizon Wireless store near us yesterday to try to deal with our POS cell phones. We are not liking their tendency to lock up, shut themselves off, refuse to hold a charge or otherwise work properly so we decided to see what else was out there. I don't want a phone with a lot of extras on it..I want to beable to reliably make and receive phone calls! Anyway...since our phones have a "known" problem we are trying a software patch first and if that doesn't work, then we have some deal in place to get newer models for something lower than list. Still no bargain. However, it took several hours at the store for this all to transpire and I still had to go back after another hour or so to pick up my phone...seems it kept crashing putting in the new software. Duh...does that tell anyone anything? Stupid Phones.
Time to call a cab for an airport run...hopefully we can get on earlier flights standby...xxxfingersxxx See you from Richmond, VA
Posted by frani at 01:19 PM | Comments (1)
August 05, 2003
They're so Vain!
Soooooo Dick Ebersol paid $50,000 to charity to have lunch with Carly Simon and find out who she thought was so vain. Now I realize there has been speculation for all these years about whom this song was written, but please, how in the world could the answer to this burning question garner $50,000! Will Dick's life be changed for the better having gained this information? Will mine? Will anyone's? Do we care anyway? (I guess all it does for me is give me something to comment on on my Blog...;-D) That's the ticket! All one has to do is have a secret for 30 years and someone will pay big bucks to find out what it is! Everyone loves a mystery! Is there not still speculation about what is prompting Mona Lisa's smile? Guess no amount of $$ will pry that loose from her lips...enigmatic or not.
So what else is consuming us? Whether an openly gay Episcopal priest can become a Bishop and 11th hour emails about some inappropriate touching of a male adult? Please......how low will people stoop.
AND this will be interesting to see how this will effect our travel. Will we have to be making a cell phone call while taking a digital photgraph and downloading it to the laptop just to get through security?? Say cheese TSAman...say Cheese.
Posted by frani at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2003
Home Again..Home Again
We're home safe and sound only a little worse for wear from our delayed flight last night. Seems they oversold the flight (duh? they do that???) and no one wanted to give up their seat. I take that back, I saw at least two people give up their seats; I don't know how many they needed originally but they were asking for one more volunteer after boarding us on the buses. No takers for the first flight out in the morning plus hotel plus meals plus freebie ticket anywhere they fly plus $200 off their next ticket...don't know if it got any better than that. All I do know is the last guy in line to board will NEVER be the last again...he got bumped involuntarily and he was not happy. What does Burlington have to do to prove we need the larger jets servicing our airport??
Eldon has removed the our front steps and a good portion of the rotted innards of our house...hhhhmmm..looks like the ants have had a field day in the insulation.
I have forgotten to mention the last two books I read...The Legacy by D. W. Buffa ( courtroom drama ), In her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner ( sister/family saga by the same author as Good in Bed I read last month) there might have been another one in there...some mystery one...but I don't really recall what it was. Obviously not too deep...none of the books I read are particularly deep.
Today is Duane's 70th birthday....I hear him out there this morning weed wacking already. I'll have to get out my helium tank and make a balloon bouquet for him.
Time to unpack, start laundry, eat food...all the usual stuff. Enjoy your weekend.
Posted by frani at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2003
Is this Friday?
Packing up day....I'll get to it but haven't even started as yet. Ahhh, we have that nice bed to look forward to tonight....;-D
Road kill Report....I forgot to mention that Monday's deer carcass was removed by Monday evening when I went back to pick up Greg. Well it WAS taking up a good portion of the road.
Second Roadkill....Tuesday PM I saw another deer...much bigger and recognizable...on northbound I-270...she was gone by Wed when I went by there again...yup...they are good about big roadkill I guess.
I have yet to hit the pothole all week but there is evidence there may be some repair made to it...it has orange paint on it now as some indication it may be slated for attention.
Yesterday's entertainment was a trek to Dulles/Reston to have lunch with my friend Cyn at AOL HQ. Wow...now there's a complex of buildings...a little city or campus type atmosphere among their 5 buildings. Good visit but short...we can do it again someday.
Guess I need to get a move on and pack...see you from VT....;-D I hope.
Posted by frani at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)